--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The original Byrds were very much…" description: "\"The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and then we gradually got our own sound. We started mixing things together more.\" — Roger McGuinn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/roger-mcguinn-13462_beatles_the-original-byrds-were-very-much-beatle_2978714.png" --- # The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and… ![“The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and then we gradually got our own sound. We started mixing things together more.” quote by Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/roger-mcguinn-13462_beatles_the-original-byrds-were-very-much-beatle_2978714.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/roger-mcguinn-13462_beatles_the-original-byrds-were-very-much-beatle_2978714.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/roger-mcguinn-13462_beatles_the-original-byrds-were-very-much-beatle_2978714.png) > “The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and then we gradually got our own sound. We started mixing things together more.” [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Byrds evolved from heavy Beatles influence to a distinct sound by blending styles. **In simple terms:** They developed a unique style over time. Key Takeaway Explore and combine influences to find your voice. Themes music evolution creativity Mood reflective inspired Type musical creative When to use this quote - songwriting - band formation - musical experimentation - career development Key Concepts artistic identity genre blending Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor roots while innovating? - What new elements can you integrate authentically? A Different Perspective Risk of losing original fan base when changing style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beatles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beatles/) [Original](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [ I don't think \[Dylan and the Beatles\] influenced me a lot. I think it was inevitable; they were so powerful that you couldn't really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-don-t-think-dylan-and-the-beatles-influenced-me-a-lot-i-think-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I suppose, counting back, if the Beatles had been influenced by music in the same length of time ago - you'd have to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-greenwood/i-suppose-counting-back-if-the-beatles-had-been-influenced-by-music/) [Jonny Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-greenwood/) > [I'm happy with the Byrds as a good memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-m-happy-with-the-byrds-as-a-good-memory/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [When The Byrds started country-rock, we had no idea there would be such a thing. We were just trying to honor the music. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/when-the-byrds-started-country-rock-we-had-no-idea-there-would-be/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-all-these-years-is-the-basis-in/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [The Rascals are something else. They're up there with the Beatles, and Stones and Byrds. That level of musicality. They have a real chemistry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/the-rascals-are-something-else-they-re-up-there-with-the-beatles-and/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [Folk-rock hasn't changed much over the decades since the Byrds started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/folk-rock-hasn-t-changed-much-over-the-decades-since-the-byrds/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [The Byrds flew off the fallout shelter, eight miles high and falling fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/the-byrds-flew-off-the-fallout-shelter-eight-miles-high-and-falling/) [Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/) > [I just got into it like a lot of people through the rock 'n' roll bands in the late '60s that turned to country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-just-got-into-it-like-a-lot-of-people-through-the-rock-n-roll-bands/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [We detested folk music because it was cerebral and sedate and we had no time for that. But the Byrds were OK because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-mael/we-detested-folk-music-because-it-was-cerebral-and-sedate-and-we-had/) [Ron Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-mael/) > [I really dig The Byrds. I think they are the most underrated - in their original form - pop group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/i-really-dig-the-byrds-i-think-they-are-the-most-underrated-in-their/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [I remember that first week at the Whisky and the gigs we (The Buffalo Springfield) did with the Byrds, We could really smoke !…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-stills/i-remember-that-first-week-at-the-whisky-and-the-gigs-we-the-buffalo/) [Stephen Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-stills/) > [You don't see a lot of difference between the Gin Blossoms and the Byrds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbert/you-don-t-see-a-lot-of-difference-between-the-gin-blossoms-and-the/) [Steve Forbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbert/) > [Before I joined The Beach Boys, I was working at Columbia Records as a producer, and saw The Byrds come in and do their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/before-i-joined-the-beach-boys-i-was-working-at-columbia-records-as-a/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [I would do a Byrds tour or a Byrds record in a minute. I miss that band now. I've tried to convince Roger over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-would-do-a-byrds-tour-or-a-byrds-record-in-a-minute-i-miss-that/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) ## More by Roger McGuinn > [One of my favorite albums is Bob Gibson and Bob Camp, 'At the Gate of Horn.' It was a really dynamic album, almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/one-of-my-favorite-albums-is-bob-gibson-and-bob-camp-at-the-gate-of/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I always got a kick out of it when they called it the California Sound because it really came out of Liverpool and Greenwich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-always-got-a-kick-out-of-it-when-they-called-it-the-california/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [... Andres Segovia literally created the genre of classical guitar, which hadn't existed before around 1910. There was flamenco, which he borrowed from, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/andres-segovia-literally-created-the-genre-of-classical-guitar-which/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Now, you can just get a laptop, get some software, put a microphone on it and make a record. You have to know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/now-you-can-just-get-a-laptop-get-some-software-put-a-microphone-on/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-like-best-about-folk-music-is-the/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Im not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/im-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-all-these-years-is-the-basis-in/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I've always loved the songs of the sea. I was first introduced to them back in 1957, at the Old Town School of Folk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-ve-always-loved-the-songs-of-the-sea-i-was-first-introduced-to-them/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I play a couple basic folks songs and break them down. I did that on a six string. I can't recall all the songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-play-a-couple-basic-folks-songs-and-break-them-down-i-did-that-on-a/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I don't want to be an oldies act, kind of dragging around on the road just for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-don-t-want-to-be-an-oldies-act-kind-of-dragging-around-on-the-road/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [My favorite guitar now is my Martin HD-7 because it's got everything. It's got the jingle-jangle thing from the twelve string, it's got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/my-favorite-guitar-now-is-my-martin-hd-7-because-it-s-got-everything/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I think the good thing about the Internet is to give something away and to sell something else. Get a business model like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-the-good-thing-about-the-internet-is-to-give-something-away/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I'm not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-m-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [But in my imagination this whole thing developed and I started mixing up old folk songs with the Beatles beat and taking them down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/but-in-my-imagination-this-whole-thing-developed-and-i-started-mixing/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/leadbelly-s-guitar-is-in-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) [Explore all 50 Roger McGuinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## More Beatles quotes > [When I first started making music, it was learning other people's songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-first-started-making-music-it-was-learning-other-people-s/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [I am a big Beatles fan. And, you know, unbeknownst to anyone, I used to be one. But I have no problems of putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-am-a-big-beatles-fan-and-you-know-unbeknownst-to-anyone-i-used-to/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [As a child, I was this record collector/listener that would sit in a room and listen to the entire Beatles catalog alone, over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/as-a-child-i-was-this-record-collector-listener-that-would-sit-in-a/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [I thought my Beatles LPs sounded pretty good on a record player, but that was before I had heard a CD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-wood/i-thought-my-beatles-lps-sounded-pretty-good-on-a-record-player-but/) [Alastair Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-wood/) > [Growing up in San Diego, my main interests were the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, 'Star Wars,' baseball cards, and drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-mooney/growing-up-in-san-diego-my-main-interests-were-the-beatles-louis/) [Kyle Mooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-mooney/) > [He's (Ringo Starr) not even the best drummer in the Beatles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/he-s-ringo-starr-not-even-the-best-drummer-in-the-beatles/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [It was great fun to be able to work with so many different artists. And I'm paying a tribute to the Beatles. I've just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-preston/it-was-great-fun-to-be-able-to-work-with-so-many-different-artists/) [Billy Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-preston/) > ['The X Factor' seems to be more about building up personalities and people in tears. And it's not a new idea. The pre-Beatles pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/the-x-factor-seems-to-be-more-about-building-up-personalities-and/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [Oh, I think country has changed tremendously. I think country has totally changed. Country music when I was a kid was Hank Williams. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/oh-i-think-country-has-changed-tremendously-i-think-country-has/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Elvis Presley's music said, 'Free your body.' The Beatles said, 'Free your mind.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/elvis-presley-s-music-said-free-your-body-the-beatles-said-free-your/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [The Beatles have a deeper appreciation of all music. There's a humor, there's a Broadway sense, and later on, the Indian stuff came in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-vivino/the-beatles-have-a-deeper-appreciation-of-all-music-there-s-a-humor/) Jimmy Vivino > [The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, these are just some of the people who threatened to sue if we used their songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-mochrie/the-beatles-rolling-stones-barbra-streisand-bruce-springsteen-these/) [Colin Mochrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-mochrie/) > [If you look in my CD case, you'll see it's Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, now I can't think of anyone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angarano/if-you-look-in-my-cd-case-you-ll-see-it-s-pink-floyd-the-rolling/) [Michael Angarano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angarano/) > [ “Like almost all of Beefheart's recorded work, \[Trout Mask Replica\] was not even "ahead" of its time in 1969. Then and now, it stands… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/like-almost-all-of-beefheart-s-recorded-work-trout-mask-replica-was/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [It's marvelous when you visit Tokyo: they have these clubs, and they'll have 'Motown Night' or 'The Beatles - Totally Authentic and Live!' You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-palmer/it-s-marvelous-when-you-visit-tokyo-they-have-these-clubs-and-they-ll/) [Robert Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-palmer/) [Browse all 786 Beatles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beatles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The original Byrds were very much Beatles-influenced, and then we gradually got our own sound. 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